Morris was one of five children born to Frankie Morris.[3] He has one sister and three brothers.[3] He also has six children.[4]
Morris attended Russellville High School in Russellville, Kentucky.[4] At 5 ft 10+1⁄2 in (1.79 m), he was told he was too small to play football, but he began earning playing time as a sophomore following an injury to another player.[3][5] He was named a Blue Chip All-American in football three times.[3] Playing tailback, he was the scoring leader on Russellville's 1990 team that won the Class A state championship.[4][6] He also competed on the track and field team, winning state titles in the 400 m and the 4 × 400 m relay.[4]
College career
Morris graduated from high school in 1991.[4] Despite being recruited by traditional football powerhouses Michigan and Penn State, he followed a high school teammate to Hutchinson Community College in Hutchinson, Kansas.[3] In his second week at the school, he suffered an ankle injury.[3] Soon after, his friend left Hutchinson, and Morris never played in a game for the school.[3] He continued running track and was named a Junior College All-American, earning him a scholarship to the University of Iowa.[4]
Attracted by the fact that the school's head track coach and one assistant coach were both African-Americans like himself, Morris enrolled at Iowa in the spring 1994 semester.[3] Although he considered trying out for the football team, he decided to stick with track and twice won the 200 m at the Big Ten outdoor championships.[3] He also won the 400 m once and was twice a member of the championship 4 × 400 m relay team.[3] One year, he won the 400 m, but was disqualified.[5] At the 1995 World University Games, Morris and his teammates broke the Games record in the 4 × 400 m relay with a time of 3:00.40.[7]
In 1994 and 1996, Morris was named an NCAA Division I All-American in the 4 × 400 m relay and in 1995, he was an All-American in the 400 m.[5] At the team's awards banquet in 1995, Morris was named most valuable team member, most outstanding sprinter, most improved member, and shared the most inspirational award with his relay teammates.[8] He graduated in summer 1996 with a bachelor's degree in art history.[3]
International career
After graduation, Morris moved to Iowa City, Iowa, where he worked as a cook and a janitor while training for a career as a professional athlete.[3] He did not hire a coach, but in 2001, he was reported to run the 40-yard dash in 4.1 seconds and bench press 365 pounds (166 kg).[3] He qualified to compete at both the indoor and outdoor U.S. National Championships eight times.[4] In 1996 and 2000, he participated in the United States Olympic Trials.[4] At the 1999 World Indoor Championships, he, Dameon Johnson, Deon Minor, and Milton Campbell formed a 4 × 400 m relay team that set a world record, completing the race in 3:02.83.[9] The team received $60,000 for the feat.[9] The record was broken in 2015.[4]
